Hotels & Stays
Where you stay decides how much of the trip you spend in transit. Pick the neighbourhood before you pick the property.
Accommodation is the one part of a trip where the listing sites genuinely differ in what they carry, rather than just in price. Large hotel chains are everywhere. Independent guesthouses, rural properties and apartments are not.
Two practical rules cover most of it. First, search the aggregator to find out what exists, then check the property’s own site — small hotels often price the same or better direct and will hold a room for a late arrival. Second, decide the neighbourhood before the property; a cheaper room forty minutes out usually costs more once you add the transfers and the evenings you cut short.
Read the cancellation policy as a price, not a footnote
Most properties sell the same room twice: a flexible rate you can cancel, and a cheaper non-refundable one. The gap between them is the price of certainty. On a trip whose dates depend on a connecting flight or a ferry, the flexible rate is usually worth it; on a fixed city break it rarely is.
Check the cut-off time too. “Free cancellation” often ends 24 or 48 hours before arrival, local time at the property — which may already have passed by the time your outbound flight is cancelled.
What the star rating does and does not tell you
Star ratings are awarded against national schemes that measure facilities, not quality. A four-star hotel has a certain set of services; it is not a promise that the room is nice. Recent guest reviews are more useful, and the most useful of all are the ones that mention specifics you can verify: noise, the walk from the station, whether the lift works.
For apartments, check who hands over the keys and when. Self check-in with a keybox is fine at 01:00; a host who meets guests until 20:00 is not, if your flight lands at 23:40.
Taxes, fees and what “per night” leaves out
City or tourist taxes are charged in many destinations and are frequently excluded from the online total, payable in cash at the property. Resort fees are common in the United States. Neither is a scam, but both make two quotes non-comparable unless you check whether the figure you are looking at is the final one.
Where to book hotels & stays
We are not an agent for any of these companies and we do not take bookings. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. What that means in practice.
Common questions
Is booking direct with the hotel cheaper?
Often the same price, sometimes better, and usually better for the property, which pays no commission. The reliable advantage is service: a hotel can move your room or hold a late arrival on its own booking far more easily than on an agency’s.
What does “pay at property” actually mean?
The booking is confirmed but not charged. The property normally takes a card to guarantee it and may pre-authorise a small amount. You pay on arrival or departure, in local currency. If you no-show, most properties will charge the first night.